St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1887-02-24
CLEVELAND DID IT ALL
Interesting Testimony ELECTED at Yes
terday's Inquiry Into the Alleged
Texas 0utrages.
Ignorant Negroes Told the President
Caused the Earthquakes, Drouth
and Low Prices.
The Senate Passes the Measure for
Creating Department of
Agriculture.
The House Adopts a Substitute for
the Pending Fisheries Retalia-
ton Sill.

WASHINGTON, Feb. 23.-William Cause
and Robert Wright, white Democratic
clerks OF election at Flewellyn polling
place last November, were examined by
the Texas investigating committee to-day.
They described the shooting of Devices Boil
ton. They did not see any mask on the
face OF the man who was killed, nor did
they see the man vino fired the shot. J.A.
Vernon. white, justice of the peace,
elected on both tickets, was sworn. He
held and inquest upon the body of De wees
Bolton. He declared that the
man was not masked OF dis
guiSed in any way. When the inquest
was held it was currently reported that
Lockett and Glider, two Republicans. who
have since left for parts unknown, had
gone TO Flewellyn's store the day of the
election and advised the negroes to arm
themselves and shoot any one who at
tempted to interfere with the ballot box.
The findings of the jury at the inquest over
Bottoms body, which declared that Bolton
came to his death at the hands of Polk
Hill, that the eight negroes arrested were
accessories to the murder and that it was
committed under advise OF Ed Lockett
(white), were put in evidence. Witness had
raIded the ballot boxes. There was no reward
offered for the perpetrators. Benjamin Y.
Aubrey, white farmer and presiding
judge at the Graball polling place, testified
that there was no intimidation at the polls.
but that about II O'Clock p. m. the ballot
box was raided by masked men while the
vote was being counted. AS fal as the count
had progressed Judge Kirk was II votes
ahead of his Republican competitor.
EX-Gov. JOHN IRELAND,
of Texas, the next witness, testified that
there was large negro element in Wash
ington county, and that since the passage
OF the reconstruction laws there had
been more or less disturbance in
the county. The county revenues
had been wasted and stolen until
the last two or three years. The methods
resorted to by those in authority finally be-
came so revolving to the better portion OF
the Republican party that the Peoples
party was formed. He knew through the
newspapers and current rumors of the raid
ing OF one or two ballot boxes, the killing
of Bolton and the lynching of the three
negroes, but knew nothing personally of
specific local acts of violence. Witness de-
clared that the charge in the memorial to
the senate that he, as the chief executive
had refused to protect the memorialists, was
untrue. He had never been asked
or requested to protect them.
The negroes Of Texas, he said. were of a
docile, contiding nature and perfectly quiet
when left to themselves. They were easily
excited, however, when harangued by those
whom they looked upon as their leaders,
1t was unsafe for negro in the negro dis
trictS to openly espouSe or vote the Demo-
cratic ticket. The negroes were not inter-
fered with by the Democrats and were al
lowed to vote as they pleased and do as
they pleased so long as they let society
alone. The purpose of the white leaders
OF the negroes was generally to create
political following and to play the role of
political martyrs so as to procure Office or
recognition.
THEY TOLD THE NEGROES
ClevelanfS administration was responsible
for the earthquakes, the drouth and the
fact that cotton brought but Z cents per
pound Witness was cross examined by
Senator SpoOner, and said he spoke in
general way about the negroes of Texas
and that he had not been in Washington
county but about twenty-four hours i'll the
last ten years. He only knew of the county
revenues being wasted as matter of no.
toriety and could only instance one defalca-
tion during twenty years of Republican
control. He did not mean to say the
county revenues were wasted each year of
Republican control. Witness admitted to
Senator Spooner that his information
about the political methods of the Republi-
cans of Washington county was very gen.
eral. No citizens of Texas ever called to
witness notice the outrages upon the
ballot boxes. Judge Rector, chairman of
the Republican state central committee of
Texas, called witness attention to the
lynching of the three negroes. While de-
claring he did not believe any good would
come of it. Judge Rector said the Offering
of reward would stop the Republican
party in the North from preaching against